Jingle Bell in the Junk Drawer

Yesterday I was searching for a particular screwdriver. Not finding it where I thought it to be, I went on the hunt. This included The Junk Drawer. Every home has one or two, so you know how that can be. By the time I got to the junk drawer I was fairly frustrated; this search was delaying my project in progress. I needed to be resting after the long drive and stressful concern for Jake. I needed to be, but I wasn’t; I was determined…no, driven to do my stupid project and I needed that stupid screwdriver! That’s when I heard it…a jingle bell.

The tinkling sound of a jingle bell in June will catch your attention. Turns out there was a jingle bell in the junk drawer. Not one of those little ones either like my mother used to sew on my petticoats when I was a young girl, although, that would have been weird enough. This was a decent size lone jingle bell. Jingle bell in hand, I felt the holy tap. I was neither resting my body nor my mind as I went thru the crazed motions of searching for a screwdriver. God didn’t use a 2X4 to get my attention, He used a jingle bell.

Mark 6:31a And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 

Exodus 23:12 (KJV) Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind."
 

Our earth bound bodies are God’s creation and it is our job to take care of them. When we stay too busy, physically and mentally, we are in jeopardy of running them down and sapping all the strength available to us. Not one of us is soooooo important that we are exempt from God’s intent and plan. I don’t know why or how the jingle bell came to be in the junk drawer, but God can and does use anything He wants to make a point. Slow down and listen for God’s message; you never know how it will come but it will come!

The Rock

Isaiah 33:6 And he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion's treasure.

I don’t have to tell you that we live in a changing society and culture. No thoughtful person can look at our world without feeling a bit apprehensive. Humankind now has the capability of destroying the world as we know it. We have more power than ever before in our history. And not only that, but we live in a revolution of rising expectations. This generation is one which demands everything now. As a result, people have become frustrated, impatient, and most of all, confused.

But the one thing that can hold our world together is an anchor. When a ship needs to stop, it can’t just put on the brakes. It has to anchor itself to something solid. It has to touch something tangible, something not susceptible to tossing and turning like the waves of the ocean. Because no matter how big the ship is, the waves will always win.

Do you want stability in an ever-changing and chaotic world? I do! Who wouldn’t? Yesterday I mentioned that I had some serious trust issues. You know why? I allowed fallible humans to determine the state my peace and joy instead of the Lord alone. That’s why my world was spinning & upside down.

We need Jesus as our anchor. Find our rest and our peace in Him alone. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He doesn’t bend or shift with the changing times. He isn’t tossed around by the waves of chaos, the winds of adversity or the storms in our lives. He is our firm foundation; the Solid Rock… the Lord Jesus Christ!

IN A CHANGING WORLD, LOOK TO CHRIST AS YOUR ANCHOR AND FIND YOUR REST AND PEACE IN HIM.

The Cost of Forgiveness

Matthew 18:35 NIV Forgive your brother from your heart

I read an article on forgiveness that hit me with the ‘ole one, two punch.’ Like all of you, learning to completely forgive and what that means has been an ongoing process for me. Just about the time I think I’ve got it figured out, another facet of forgiveness is brought to my attention either by my need to forgive or through an insight the Lord shared with me. Today, it came through an article by Neil Anderson. Read what he has to say slowly…this may mean you have to deliberately slow down and/or reread it several times but it is weighty enough to warrant the effort.

Forgiveness is agreeing to live with the consequences of another person's sin. Forgiveness is costly; we pay the price of the evil we forgive. Yet you're going to live with those consequences whether you want to or not; your only choice is whether you will do so in the bondage of bitterness or the freedom of forgiveness. That's how Jesus forgave you--He took the consequences of your sin upon Himself. All true forgiveness is substitutional, because no one really forgives without bearing the penalty of the other person's sin.

Wow, ‘Forgiveness is agreeing to live with the consequences of another person's sin. Forgiveness is costly; we pay the price of the evil we forgive’. Jesus paid for our sin on the cross, just as He did for those that sin against us. We know that, we believe that. We also know the consequences of sin are not taken away even though forgiveness has been made possible through Jesus. This is WHY we still have to deal with the costly consequences of the sin we, too, forgave. They are here on earth with us, around us, in us and manifested in ways that affect us, like it or not. Forgiving is the first step of healing, not the last. Yet you're going to live with those consequences whether you want to or not; your only choice is whether you will do so in the bondage of bitterness or the freedom of forgiveness.

Why then do we forgive? Because Christ forgave us. God the Father "made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Where is the justice? The cross makes forgiveness legally and morally right: "For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all" Romans 6:10.

How do you forgive from the heart as instructed in our reference scripture? First, you acknowledge the hurt and the hate. If your forgiveness doesn't visit the emotional core of your past, it will be incomplete. This is the great evangelical cover-up. Christians feel the pain of interpersonal offenses, but we won't acknowledge it. Let God bring the pain to the surface so He can deal with it. This is where the healing takes place.

This part hit home for me: If your forgiveness doesn't visit the emotional core of your past, it will be incomplete. This is the great evangelical cover-up. As Christians, we tend to think ourselves less Christ-like when we feel anger and hurt, so we sprinkle a little ‘holy water’ on ourselves and climb up on our spiritual high horses above the ugliness of both the sin against us and the feelings we have endured because of it. Ignoring it does not ‘forgiveness’ make. It doesn’t ‘feel good’ so we push it back into the recesses of our minds and think around it, all the while abscess and infection is quietly eating away at us because we did not allow for healing from God.

Ask God to bring to your mind those you need to forgive. Make a list of all those who have offended you. Since God has forgiven them by His grace, you can forgive them too. For each person on your list, say: "Lord, I forgive (name) for (offenses)." Keep praying about each individual until you are sure that all the remembered pain has been dealt with. Don't try to rationalize or explain the offender's behavior. Forgiveness deals with your pain, not another's behavior. Remember: Positive feelings will follow in time; freeing yourself from the past is the critical issue.

Comfort in the Word

How do you deal with or handle pain? I, for one, like to be left alone when I hurt – be it physical, emotional or spiritual pain. If you want to help me and I am unable to care for myself, just make sure I have food and your number but I prefer to handle it without an audience. I also tend to get very quiet…maybe that’s why I want to be alone, so I don’t have to communicate.

I have known people that want someone to be right beside them, as support, and find comfort in the company. I know others that get impatient and rather mean when coping with pain. Some get weepy. Some tend to strike out verbally toward anyone around. There are as many different coping skill sets as there are people. Life is not pain free! As Christians, we are blessed to have the word of God in our time of pain.  

Whether it is physical pain or emotional pain, the word of God is a comfort for those that truly seek wisdom. Are you experiencing some type of pain in your life today? I encourage you to read through these Bible verses after praying and asking God to use them to give you peace.

Comfort in the Lord

Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Jesus Felt Pain

Hebrews 2:18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Pain Leads to Repentance

2 Corinthians 7:9-10 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Hope in the Future

Revelation 22:4-5 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lampor sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Romans 8:18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Biblical Example of Pain in Job

Job 1:21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Job 6:10 This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One.

Strength Comes from God to Overcome Pain

1 Corinthians 10:13   No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Peter 5:9-10   Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.